We can definitely identify with Eileen Quinn's song. We left New Bern Sunday morning and made the 45 mile run straight out Beaufort, NC inlet. A nice run with the wind filling the sails...15-20 knots and nice comfy seas and we responded by putting out full sail. Overnight was quite beautiful with the crescent moon rising about 3am and casting a wonderful reflective glow on the water. We could see a million stars and the Milky Way was extraordinarily clear. We had to relay a call for another boat to the Coast Guard, their engine died and the headsail furling unit snapped and in 20 knots of wind it was wreaking havoc. The USCG was quite nice about the matter, thanked us for relaying as the whole process took about 2 hours.
We split our night watches either in 2 hour segments or 3 hours depending on conditions and how we feel. Brian usually sleeps in the cockpit and Heather alternates between in the cabin and in the cockpit depending on multiple variables...
Monday morning was calm seas...almost glassy but with a nice breeze that sent us skimming along at 6 knots. As the evening wore on the breeze picked up and by first light this morning (Tuesday) it was blowing 25-30 and seas were rising quickly and angrily. The wind was supposed to clock around to the north but stayed west southwest all day. We had passed Charleston when things just got hairy... to alter course to the east would have taken us farther out to sea where conditions were worse; altering course towards land southward meant going nose-in to the wind and waves and an incredibly slow trip. After three hours of fighting weather we decided to head back to Charleston, SC which was about 20 miles off.
Under double reefed main and single reefed mizzen we bumped and bounced to Charleston...seeing many dolphin and a sea turtle along the way...and then the seas decided to get friendly. Not friendly in the nice sort of way but friendly in that sarcastic schoolyard bully or creepy too-touchy mom's boyfriend called "Uncle" sort of friendly... and one decided to board us. Talk about an anomaly... the seas were 6-8 foot but this one was 12 at least...it crested OVER the bimini and entered the cockpit as a wall of water not unlike some amusement park rides... the Pirate Ship meets the Log Flume... thankfully the cockpit drains fast and we were nearly to the jetties and calm water. When we took the boarding wave our youngest cat, Takara (Inspector Gadget) was in the cockpit...we had put her in her carrier since conditions were rough and she didn't want to sit still but wanted to be out with us... when the wave came over she was completely drenched. Oddly enough she didn't yell, squeal, or meow...she just looked at us with the most suprised look "I was minding my own business and this is what I got in return?" Heather had also recently gone inside to the head and neglected to put her foul weather gear back on. She was sitting on the cockpit floor with her eyes closed getting a few minutes of rest when the wave came from behind her...I don't know who looked more drenched, Miss Heather or Miss Kitty.
We got in and crashed...made a ghetto-supper of Mac & Cheese with hot dogs cut up in it, everything is everywhere and we will clean it up tomorrow. For now we'll watch a dvd, enjoy a cup of hot tea, and sleep it off.
When we get a good 24-hour window we'll head out Chearleston and straight for either Fernandina Beach, FL or Jacksonville/Mayport. | 
